Patent · US Active

Processor and method for writeback buffer reuse

US8145848B2 · kind B2 · utility

11Cited by
0References
20Claims
0Family size

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Key dates

Filing dateNov 30, 2009
Grant dateMar 27, 2012
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 30, 2030

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F12/0811
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A processor may include a writeback configured to perform a first writeback operation to store corresponding writeback data back to a lower-level memory upon eviction of the writeback data, and a writeback buffer configured to store the writeback data after the writeback data has been evicted from the writeback cache and before the writeback data has been sent to the lower-level memory. After the writeback data has been sent from the writeback buffer to the lower-level memory, and before the lower-level memory has acknowledged completion of the first writeback operation, the writeback cache may perform a second writeback operation to store different writeback data in the writeback buffer in response to eviction of the different writeback data, such that a total size of the writeback data for the concurrently outstanding writeback operations exceeds a total size of writeback data that the writeback buffer is capable of concurrently storing.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.